Catastrophic Fire at Ski Hotel in Turkey: 66 Dead, Over 50 Injured
On the night of 21 January, a large-scale fire broke out in Turkey at a hotel in the Kartalkaya ski resort in Bolu. At least 66 people were killed and 51 others were injured, CNN Turk reports, citing a statement by Turkish Interior Minister Ali Erlikay.
The hotel had 238 guests at the time of the fire. The fire broke out around 03:30 local time on the fourth floor, in the restaurant of the 12-storey wooden hotel. The flames quickly spread to the upper floors.
Firefighters arrived about 40-45 minutes after the blaze broke out. A total of 156 pieces of equipment and 428 people were used to extinguish the fire.
The guests were evacuated and accommodated in four other hotels in the region.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç said that a commission consisting of six prosecutors and five experts had been set up to investigate.